1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to devices for controlling an electro-optic device, methods for controlling an electro-optic device, electro-optic devices, and electronic apparatuses.
2. Related Art
As display devices that display an image, electrophoretic display devices that use micro capsules are known. Among such display devices, an active matrix type display device includes a plurality of row electrodes extending in a row direction, a plurality of column electrodes extending in a column direction, and drive circuits provided respectively at intersections of the plural row electrodes and the plural column electrodes for driving microcapsules. When a voltage is applied across the row electrode and the column electrode, a potential difference is generated between an electrode installed on the drive circuit and another electrode provided opposite the electrode with the microcapsules interposed between them. As the potential difference is generated between the opposing electrodes with the microcapsules interposed between them, white particles and black particles in the microcapsules move according to the electric field generated by the potential difference. As the optical reflection property changes due to the change in the distribution of white particles and black particles in each microcapsule changes, an image would be displayed.
In some of such electrophoretic display devices, there is a type in which image rewriting, when changing a display by the active matrix method, may be performed over a plurality of frames. However, if the image rewriting starts on the full screen when performing the image rewriting over a plurality of frames, new writing cannot be performed until the current writing is completed. Accordingly, when adding or deleting an image, the next writing would be started only after the current image writing is completed. Such an operation would take time, and therefore pose a problem in terms of operability.
In order to solve such a problem, a method of performing the writing through performing pipeline processing in units of a partial region has been proposed (see, for example, JP-A-2009-251615). According to the method described in JP-A-2009-251615, an image is written on the screen in two partial regions which do not overlap each other, at different timings. Accordingly, even if the writing of a partial region where writing has started first is not completed, the writing of the other partial region where writing is to be started later can be started. As a result, the display speed can be improved, compared with a case where the same method is not adopted.
In the method described in JP-A-2009-251615, however, if the partial regions overlap in part, the writing of the partial region where writing is to be started later has to wait until the writing of the partial region where writing has started first ends. For this reason, it takes time until the display is completed.
In this respect, it may be conceivable to start the next writing before completing the current writing to shorten the time for completing the display. However, for example, if the writing operation to change the gray level of pixels to white starts during the write operation to change the gray level of pixels to black, a deviation occurs between the number of times of voltage application to change the pixels to black and the number of times of voltage application to change the pixels to white, whereby the pixels are quickly deteriorated.